Red's Adventure
by Therrester
Summary: My take on Red's journey through Kanto with his friends Green, Blue and Yellow. Loosely based and inspired from the Red and Blue games of the same series, as well as the Pokemon Adventures Manga. Watch Red journey through Kanto, battle powerful gym leaders and oppose the dreaded Team Rocket in his quest to be a pokemon master!
1. Chapter One, The Adventure Begins

**I've seen a couple people do a story similar to this one and it inspired me to do my own. I take no credit for the characters used in this tale, nor do I claim them as my own. Lastly, I hope you enjoy the story and don't hesitate to give me a review, good or bad. In fact, I encourage constructive reviews, as they'll allow me to improve my writing, making it so that the next chapters can be even better. Thanks!**

* * *

**Pokemon – Red's adventures**

**Chapter One: The Adventure Begins**

It was a warm, early summer day morning when the newly fifteen year old's alarm clock rang its wake up call through the small bedroom. His groan added more noise to the room, before a hand emerging from a blanket hit the loud objet, knocking it off the stand towards the floor. The crash that sounded from the impact was even louder than the alarm's noise and shocked the young man into awareness.

With another groan, Red slowly sat up in his bed while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Looking down to his freshly destroyed alarm clock, he wondered why has set it to ring the day before. As sleep left his system and more coherent thoughts filled his head, it dawned on him.

Suddenly filled with excitement, he jumped from his bed and grabbed the nearest pair of clothes within reach and bolted to the bathroom, yelling his anticipation for the day to come. A short hour later, he was in the kitchen, eating his breakfast while his mom cooked hers on the stove.

"Boy Red, you're sure excited today." She said, watching her son gulp down his juice before taking another big bite from his meal.

Too eager to talk, he mumbled something she couldn't understand as he chewed.

She suppressed a laugh. "Sweetie, swallow before you speak. It's impolite to do other wise."

Nearly chocking down his meal, he finished what was left on his plate before answering his mother. "Today's the day I've been waiting for my entire life! Finally, I not only get my own pokemon but I get to start my very own adventure!"

His mother could only smile at that. "I know you have, that's why I got you this." she said, before showing him a red cap, with an image that resembled half of a pokeball.

Eyeing the hat, Red grinned. "Oh wow mom! That's awesome." Taking it from her hands, he placed it on his head. A perfect fit.

"You look so handsome sweetie."

"Haha, thanks mom! I love it!"

He would have added more but by then, he had already put is plate in the sink and was getting ready to leave. His mom however stopped him and he found himself in her embrace as she hugged him tightly.

"I'm so happy for you and beyond proud, but be careful out there."

Struggling against her grip, he replied quickly. "I will mom, don't worry."

She smiled. "I'm your mother! It's my job to worry." She then let him go and he turned to look at her. "Honestly though, be careful, make lots of friends and have fun. I love you Red."

He smiled back to her, grabbed his bag and turned for the door. "Love you too mom!"

Without another word, he left his childhood home and headed for Professor Oak's laboratory down the street, oblivious to the tears his mother had in her eyes as she watched him bolt down the street.

* * *

One house down, a small family of three were quietly enjoying their breakfast as they watched Red pass by their window. The daughter, a girl Red's age, quickly got up as soon as the boy was out of sight, almost knocking over her plate as she did.

Her mother, seeing her daughter's sudden movements, gave a laugh. "Blue, sit down and finish your meal. The pokemon will still be there when you get there."

The girl, Blue, smirked and sat back down. "Not if Red has his way. He gets impatient when it comes to pokemon."

Her dad, who was sitting across from her, sipped from his coffee mug. "He has every right to be. It's not every day a young lad gets to set off on his first journey."

Eyeing his daughter, he added, "Speaking of which, have you three each decided which ones you'll all be picking?"

Blue shrugged. "Red, Green and I talked about it length and, to us, it doesn't really matter which starter we get."

"Spoken like true pokemon masters."

Her mother, who had just recently left the kitchen, came back holding a small light brown bag. "I took the liberty of preparing a small bag for your journey."

She then gave the bag to her daughter, who quickly rummaged through its contents. "I mostly packed essentials you'll need, among other things."

While Blue was still browsing through the bag, her father got up and made his way to the wardrobe that was near the front door. "And, no daughter of mine is going to go on an adventure without looking her best."

He then took out a white hat with red half-circle lined on its front. He handed it to his daughter, who then put it on her head. Throwing the bag around her shoulder, she ran to the nearest mirror and looked at herself. With a smile, she rushed back to her parents and hugged both of them.

"Thank you, both of you, for everything." She said, holding back tears.

Her parents hugged her back and her father spoke while her mom kissed her forehead. "Go and have a grand adventure sweetie."

"And show those boys, who are always arguing over who's best, that it's none other than you." Her mother added.

She nodded in reply, turned and made for the door. "Love you both, bye!"

"Love you dear!" "Bye and best of luck!"

And with that, Blue, the young girl from Pallet Town, left her small home and ran down the street in Red's wake.

* * *

On the opposite side of town, a similar wake up to Red's was taking place. Unlike him though, once Green disabled his alarm, he fell right back asleep. It was only until his elder sister yelled at him from the floor below that he rolled over in surprise and fell from his bed.

Green, noting that he had slept an hour late, rushed to gather his things and bolted down the steps, almost running into Daisy, his sister.

"Shit, Green!" she yelled out, stepping out of his way. "Watch were you're going!"

"Sorry sis! Can't stop, I'm late enough as it is." He replied, as he darted passed her and ran into the kitchen, grabbing a slice of a toast before heading for the front door. She sighed as she watched the door slam behind him and once more walked up the stairs.

_How typical of him, leaving without even saying goodbye. Still, he's Red's and Blue's problem now. Hopefully, those two can take care of him on the road. Than again, knowing Green, he'll want to travel alone._ She chuckled_. I almost feel bad for his pokemon, he's quite the character._

She smiled. _Best of luck Green!_

* * *

Red sat in the professor's main lab anxiously trying to patiently wait for Green, the professor's grand-son and Red's long time rival. Blue sat beside him, nervously fidgeting in her seat. The two of them were making small talk, only to be cut by the harsh opening of the front door.

Green, with his unkept brown hair, half ran into the building, slamming the door upon entering. After seeing him, Red got to his feet and yelled, "About time you got here Green! I was just about to march into the professor's study and demand that we start without you!"

"You would've WHAT?" The newcomer said, walking towards Red. "You wouldn't have dared too! We've been waiting for this day for years! And you would've just ruined it like that?"

Red started walking towards Green. "It's your fault for being so damn late!"

Behind the two, Blue gently got to her feet; not one bit surprised at her friends. "Guys, I think you should-"

"ENOUGH!"

The sudden shout made both boys jump and Blue turned to see Professor Oak walk into the room. Eyeing Blue, he said "Sorry for interrupting you dear." to which she smiled.

"If you two want to fight," he said, gesturing to the boys, "then wait until you get your own pokemon."

Red and Green looked at each other, and then back to the professor, and shamefully looked to the floor.

Grinning, the professor turned back to the door he just walked out of. "Good. Now, let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

The three kids followed the elderly man into a room filled with pokeballs stacked upon endless rows of shelves. In the middle of the room, there was a round table on which was placed three evenly spaced pokeballs.

The professor turned towards the kids. "In this room, I will give you your first pokemon." He pointed at the table. "The ball to the left contains Bulbasaur, a grass type; the center one holds Charmander, a fire type. Lastly, the one to the right has Squirtle, a water type."

He looked back at the kids. "Red, since you were the first to arrive, you can pick first." This earned an enthusiastic answer from Red and a groan from Green.

Without hesitation, Red walked to the table and picked the center ball. Grinning, he made his way back to his friend, admiring the shining orb in his hands.

"Blue, you're next."

The girl followed Red's steps and after a small amount of consideration, chose the one on the right. Green, being impatient, walked up behind her and grabbed the last ball.

The professor, who had begun to speak, stopped when Green turned around and pointed at Red. "Red! I challenge you to a battle! Time to finally see which of us is better!"

Red wasted no time replying. "Ha! I'm the one who's going to win! Let's battle in the fields near the edge of the village."

"Fine by me."

"Hey wait!"

Ignoring the professor's request, both boys ran out of the room, pokeball in hand. Watching them go, Blue sighed and pressed the button on the ball in her hand. With a snap, the ball split open and a red beam burst out, hitting the floor in front of her. It quickly took shape before fading and, in its place, stood a small blue turtle.

Leaning down at the pokemon, Blue gave it a smile. "Hi Squirtle. I'm your new trainer, Blue. I'm sure we'll be the best of friends."

The turtle looked at the young girl and gave her a smile. "Squirtle!"

The professor, walking up behind her, spoke gently. "At least I can count on you Blue to be the responsible one."

Picking up the turtle in her arms, she turned to look at him. "Yea, those two can be a handful when they want to be."

"Here," he said, holding out his hand, "you wouldn't mind going to give them these, would you?"

Looking down at what he was holding, Blue nodded. "Sure, just let me get my bag."

* * *

Out in the fields on the outskirts of Pallet Town, Red stood before Green, but was facing the town behind him. "Shouldn't we wait for Blue?"

"Why?" Green asked, "You want her to take your place? Chickening out already?"

Red turned to his rival. "I said no such thing!"

Green grinned. "Then let's get this battle going!"

He then threw the pokeball in the air and smiled as it opened mid-arc and a red beam shot out, materialising into a Bulbasaur before him. He caught the ball as it landed in his hand.

"Hey Bulbasaur. I'm you're new trainer, and we're going to beat that loser."

The small plant dinosaur turned to Red and let out a small growl, anxiously waiting the battle to come.

Red adjusted his cap and threw his own pokeball and shortly after an orange lizard stood in front of him.

Smiling, Red said, "Hey Charmander, I'm Red; your trainer. Together, you and I, we'll be an unstoppable team!"

The small lizard gave the enthusiastic teen a smile followed by a nod and turned to the dinosaur before it.

"We've wasted enough time!" Green yelled out. "Bulbasaur, Tackle!"

And with that, the battle began.

Head down, Green's Bulbasaur begin running towards Charmander. Within a few second, it was inches away from hitting the small lizard, who ducked to side following Red's request to dodge the attack.

"Great, now use Scratch!"

Immediately following the command, the lizard jumped back towards the dinosaur, claws at the ready, and scratched down its side.

"Tackle it again Bulbasaur!"

Recoiling from the sudden pain, the pokemon lowered its head once more and dashed towards the lizard, coming in contact with its under-belly. This sent Charmander spiralling backwards before landing on its back.

Rolling off its back, the fire lizard let out a growl that distorted the air and got to his feet. The threatening noise made Bulbasaur stagger back a few steps and it shook its head to regain focus, but it was late.

Charmander had already got back up and was running towards it, clear with the intent of scratching it once more.

"Leech Seed!"

Green's command was loud and clear. Bulbasaur leaned forward, directing its bulb at Charmander and sent out a small seed, which landed at the lizard's feet.

Ignoring it, Charmander tried to close in on the pokemon before it but nearly fell as the seed sprouted and wrapped itself around its foot.

The lizard suddenly yelled out as the seed started sapping its strength and fell to its knees.

"Great! Now let's go for another Tackle!"

Unable to move, Charmander was defenceless as the dinosaur rushed towards him. Behind it, Red yelled out. "Char, use Ember!"

Suddenly, the fire on the lizard's tail burned brighter and, with a small roar, the lizard shot a gush of fire out of it's mouth which not only burned the vines that was slowly trapping it but surrounded the running Bulbasaur.

Having already built up a small amount of momentum, Bulbasaur was unable to stop and Green commanded it to keep running through the upcoming jet of flames. As fire burned its skin, the dinosaur kept on pushing forward and shortly came in contact with Charmander once more. It used the last of its strength to propel the lizard into the air.

Charmander flew backwards and fell hard on its back, knocking it unconscious just as Bulbasaur succumbed to its injuries and fell forwards, out cold.

Both trainers stared dumbfounded at the scene before them, unwilling to accept the draw. They were jolted back to reality by the sound of clapping and both turned to see Blue standing near the battle scene with her Squirtle peaking out of her white hat.

"Good job you two, that was a wonderful first battle." She said, smiling at them.

"What was wonderful about it?" Red yelled. "A draw! We can't settle on a draw!"

"He's right! I won't be happy until I've won!" Green walked up to Bulbasaur and leaned down. "Hey, Bulbasaur! Wake up, we have to-"

He was suddenly hit by a cold jet of water, which sent him onto his back. Turning to Blue, he yelled "Why'd you do that Blue?"

"Stop it! Both of you! What you two need is to calm down and listen to me!"

She sighed and put Squirtle down, which curled up at her feet. "Look, first off, you both need to put Charmander and Bulbasaur back into their pokeballs and heal them."

"Hop to it." She added once she saw neither of them were moving. With a groan, both Green and Red returned their pokemons, and walked towards the teenaged girl.

"Now," she said, opening her bag, "the professor gave this to me, and wanted you to have one as well before you both ran off."

In her hand, she took out two red devices, and handed one to each of the guys.

"That's a Pokedex." She explained. "It's a high-tech encyclopedia that records all the pokemon that you've seen and caught. According to the professor, only those who complete the Pokedex can claim to be a true pokemon master."

Red, fumbling with the device, jumped with excitement. "Haha! Perfect! With this, my adventure can now truly begin."

Green simply pocketed the device and turned to leave, before asking "Is that it? Or was there something else?"

"One second." Blue reached into her bag and quickly withdrew ten smaller pokeballs. "The professor also wanted me to give you both five of these. These are empty pokeballs, which are naturally used to catch wild Pokemon."

Handing them the balls, she added, "I trust you both know how to catch them."

Red grinned and nodded while Green simply attached them to his belt and turned to leave once more. He made his way towards the end of the field before stopping.

"I'm heading to Viridian City to heal Bulbasaur and start my own adventure."

As he left, he turned to look at the both Red and Blue and smirked. "When we run into each other once more, don't hesitate to challenge me. Just know that I won't lose!"

Watching his friend leave, Red yelled back at his rival. "You can expect the same from me, Green!"

And with that, both Red and Blue watched as Green strode through the Pallet Town fields and headed off towards Route 1. Once Green was nothing more than a speck in the distance, Red turned and looked at Blue.

"So, Blue, what do you plan on doing?"

She avoided his gaze and looked down at Squirtle. "I don't know; probably head off just like you two. Challenge a few gyms and the whole lot."

Red smiled at her answer. "In that case, you wouldn't mind travelling together for a while, right?"

At that, she looked at him and met his eyes, only to quickly look to the side once more.

"Yea, I'd like that." She answered in a small voice.

"Perfect!" With that, he turned and started walking in the direction Green had left. He stopped after taking a few steps and looked back at Blue, who hadn't moved.

"Come on! Let's go!"

She looked at him once more and nodded. "Right, sorry."

She then picked up Squirtle, who scurried up her arm and hid himself in her hat until only his head was visible and she set off behind Red. It wasn't long before the two of them started down the road, talking about the many adventures that awaited them.


	2. Chapter Two, The Girl in the Forest

**Alright everyone, here's chapter two of my Red's Adventure story! I'd like to thank those who have decided to follow this story even though it's still in its beginning stages. Hopefully, you'll all stick around for the long run of this tale! Also, again, I'd greatly appreciate your reviews; they help improve the story, a lot! Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

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**Pokemon – Red's Adventure**

**Chapter Two: The Girl in the Forest**

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Blue asked to the restless youth before her, following the hem of his red jacket. She brushed another over-grown branch from her path, trying to keep up with Red. Her Squirtle, who's head was poking out from her white hat, retreated inside its shell to avoid the branches that flew over her own head.

A full week had passed since their departure from Pallet Town and in that time they had effortlessly crossed Route 1, arriving at Viridian City. Once there, they spent a better part of the week improving their techniques on how to successfully catch wild pokemon with the help of the elderly folk living in the city; though Red and Blue have yet to keep any of the pokemon they caught as part of their main party.

Even so, the knowledge was useful and both of them were able to catch a couple Pidgeys, Rattatas and the odd Mankey, all of which were currently roaming the endless fields behind Professor Oak's laboratory. On their last day in the city, Red had set out for the abandoned gym, admiring its battle-worn grounds and the impression of strength that came from the old structure. While he was out, Blue spent her time gathering supplies from the Pokemart, filling her traveling bag with various potions and antidotes for their upcoming trek through Viridian Forest.

Sadly, half a day into their journey through the forest, her supplies were already running short. And now, she fully suspected that Red was lost and was blindly marching through the trees and flora, with her struggling in his wake.

"Relax already!" he yelled from somewhere in front of her, "I can head back to the main road easily enough. I'm on a hunt for that rare pokemon!" he said, recalling the city's local legend about a powerful, near-extinct pokemon that was rumoured to live in the forest

Blue paused in her pursuit for a second to catch her breath. "Well, your hunt's about to come to an end soon enough. I'm short on potions and your endless battles with wild Weedles and Kakunas have nearly exhausted my supplies of antidotes."

She waited for his reply and groaned in annoyance when it didn't come. Setting out after him, she continued her steady walk until she came upon a small clearing. She walked along the faded dirt path that crossed it, arriving next to Red. He gestured to her to be silent and he pointed further down the path. Looking ahead, Blue saw a small yellow mouse with its back to them, eating what seemed to be a small blue berry.

"A wild Pikachu…" She whispered.

Red, stepping further into the clearing, reached for the small pokeball tucked on his pocket and brought forth his Charmander. In front of him, the Pikachu's ears twitched. He gestured his Charmander to be silent and pointed at the mouse, the lizard nodding once it followed his finger.

He waited for his Charmander to slowly walk behind the Pikachu and once his pokemon was close enough, lacking subtlety, Red voiced his command. "Charmander, Ember!"

The wild pokemon, hearing Red's attack, turned its small head and was welcomed with the sight of red and orange flames. Dropping the berry, it dashed to its side, a beam of white light in its wake. Side-stepping, it continued its Quick Attack and darted towards the lizard, hitting it in the chest. The resulting contact sent Charmander backwards as it struggled to keep its footing.

"Scratch!"

Following its trainer's demand, Charmander raised a claw and scratched the Pikachu's soft head, which back away in pain. Red took this opportunity to have Charmander send out another series of Embers, which engulfed the wild Pikachu. Soon enough, the flames surrounding the mouse settled and Pikachu was lying on the floor, covered in small burns. With glee, Red threw a pokeball, which hit the mouse's back. Meeting no resistance, the ball opened and the Pikachu disappeared as it faded into a red beam that was absorbed by the ball, which fell back to the floor.

"Alright!" Red yelled as he jumped, retreating his Charmander into its own pokeball. "I just caught a Pikachu!"

Blue, who had stood to the side with her Squirtle in her hands, walked towards Red as he picked up the fallen pokeball. "Good job Red. You keeping this one or is it going to the professor's lab like all the others?"

He turned to her and smiled. "Nah, this one's traveling with us."

He then looked to the ball and frowned. "Though if that's the case, I should probably heal him." He held out the pokeball and opened it, releasing the red beam which materialised into his newly caught Pikachu, who fell on his stomach due to its burns.

Turning to Blue, he reached out his hand. "Pass me a potion Blue, please."

With a sigh, she set her Squirtle to the ground, who ran up beside the injured pokemon, opened her bag and looked for a potion. Handing the item to Red, she said "Alright, but it's my last one. After this, we're out of items."

"Understood, thanks." He took the item and proceeded to apply the healing jets of water to the yellow mouse. Before long, Pikachu regained consciousness as the scratch on its head healed. The burns however, seemed unaffected from the potion. Licking a bad burn on its paw, it looked up at Red.

With a smile, Red reached out to steady the mouse and said, "Hey Pikachu, I'm Red; your new trainer. Here, let me see if I can do something for those burns."

As he reached out with the potion though, Pikachu suddenly frowned and with a groan, bit Red's hand, making him drop the item. As Red snapped his hand back in pain, Pikachu looked around and noticed the Squirtle next to it. It then started producing sparks from its red cheeks and before Blue could react, a large bolt of electricity both engulfed Red and her Squirtle.

The electric energy soon vanished and she watched with horror as her Squirtle fell back, unconscious. Red, recovering from the blast, shook his head and reached out towards the mouse once more, which simply ran back to its dropped berry, picked it up and growled at the trainer.

Blue ran to her pokemon's side and took it into her arms. "Squirtle! Are you ok? Wake up!"

"It's no good Blue, I think we'll need to heal your Squirtle before things get worst."

"Heal it with what?" She snapped back. "We're out of potions and we're half a day into this stupid forest with no Pokemon Centers in sight."

Trying to calm her down, Red got back to his feet and pointed behind him. "The entrance of the forest is about half a mile or so that way. If you leave now, you should be able to reach Viridian City by night fall. I'll wait here over night and try to calm Pikachu down."

She glanced in the direction he was pointing and frowned. "Half a mile that way? Have we been walking in circles all day long?!" His smile told her everything.

Ignoring Red, she secured her grip on her Squirtle and started running towards the forest's entrance, only looking back to Red once in order to say "Be careful."

He nodded in reply and watched her leave. He turned back towards the Pikachu but only saw its tail as it ran behind a bush, further into the forest.

"Hey!" he yelled, before setting off after it.

* * *

Night had already fallen by the time Blue returned to Viridian City. She was now sitting in the Pokemon Center's lobby, waiting for Nurse Joy to finish healing her Squirtle. She was busy wondering how Red was faring with his new Pikachu when a teenage boy with familiar brown hair, a green shirt and baggy shorts walked into the center; a boy that she recognised.

"Hey Green, over here!" She shouted out.

Green turned and smiled upon recognising Blue before making his way towards her. "Yo Blue! Why are you still in Viridian? It's been a week since we left Pallet." Glancing around, he then added, "Better yet, where's Red? I thought you two were traveling together."

She sighed. "We are, he's up ahead in Viridian Forest. He caught a Pikachu earlier today that electrocuted us while he was trying to heal it. My Squirtle didn't fare well after the attack so I came back here to heal it."

Green simply frowned at the information and shrugged. "That's typical Red for you. He should've known that if he catches a pokemon that's too powerful, it won't listen to him. Still, it's curious he managed to catch it if it's that strong. How'd he manage that?"

"His Charmander severely burnt it." Came her casual reply.

Green snorted. "Ain't he the lucky one."

Just then, Nurse Joy came out of her operating room, walking towards the duo. She handed Blue her pokeball. "Here you go miss. Your Squirtle's fully healed. I hope you have a good night and don't hesitate to come again." She gave them a warm smile before heading off back into the room she just came out from.

Pocketing the ball, Blue turned back to Green. "Say, why are you still in this city Green? I would've thought you would be at least at Pewter by now."

He shrugged. "I went towards Route 22, to the west, instead of going north towards the forest. I wanted to see if I could sign up for the Indigo League."

At this, Blue got to feet in alarm. "You need to sign up for the League?"

"Relax will you!" He said, a hand running through his hair. "According to the officials there, you don't need to sign up. You just show up with at least eight of the region's official badges and you're qualified to fight the Elite. No official sign up or anything."

Sitting back down, Blue let out a breath of relief. "Oh, good."

She then watched as another trainer rushed into the Center, carrying a fainted Rattata, a small Mankey running in his wake. Noting this, she turned to Green. "Have you caught any other pokemon while you were out there?"

He smiled. "Are you kidding? I've been practically catching everyone I come across. Though I've only kept one or two for my main team. What about you?"

She shrugged. "I've been doing the same. Except I still only have Squirtle for my team." She then looked at the new arrival, who had taken his Rattata into the back room with Nurse Joy.

"How about a battle?"

She turned to Green, pondering his question.

"I have a new pokemon I wanted to try in a real battle. What say you?"

She smiled. "Sure, why not."

* * *

And with that, both trainers gathered there things and headed outside.

Deep within the forest to the north, Red nearly yelled as yet another branch flung back and hit him. He was covered in numerous bite marks and scratches, and he had a couple dry leaves stuck to him. His Charmander rested inside its pokeball, having worn out itself chasing Pikachu a couple hours ago.

Red looked up and tried to see the sky, noticing that night had now fallen. He turned to the mouse before him, most the burns on its body having turned into small bruises, and took out its pokeball again.

"Why don't you just go in the pokeball Pikachu?" he asked, exhausted.

The electric pokemon growled again and set out through a bush behind it. Red, tired from the chase, contemplated for a second allowing the pokemon to run off but quickly relinquished the thought. _A true pokemon master doesn't give up simply because he can't tame a wild pokemon. _He regretted the earlier notion instantly.

He was about to set out after it when he heard a small voice come from behind the bush Pikachu had run into.

"Oh, a wild Pikachu… You poor thing, you're injured!"

Red panicked at this. Not wanting someone to take his Pikachu, he rushed into the clearing behind the bush and stopped in his tracks. Before him was a girl who he judged was his age. She wore a long orange dress, with a black undershirt and blue jeans. He caught a glimpse of blonde hair mostly hidden beneath a straw hat prior to noticing that she was taking his Pikachu into her arms.

Filled with panic, he suddenly rushed towards the two, not noticing that in her embrace, the burn marks on Pikachu's body were being healed. He quickly took a pokeball from his pocket and threw it at the mouse was the girl let it go.

Hearing the trainer, Pikachu turned and Red saw that the burns were now gone. Before Pikachu could react, the pokeball hit it softly on the head and it was absorbed into the red light and vanished into the ball, which landed softly before the young girl.

"Wait, so that Pikachu has a trainer?"

The girl eyed the ball and shifted her gaze towards Red. She then frowned and grabbed the pokeball, yelling. "How could you?! That Pikachu was suffering due to the various burns and bruises! You should've healed it instead of chasing it through the forest!"

"What? No!" Red was furious. Just when he had finally recaptured his Pikachu, this girl here was accusing him of abusing it. "Look, just give me back the pokeball and we can talk about this."

"I don't think I should!" Was her reply, as she slowly backed away from Red.

"I'm so not in the mood for this!" he said as he reached for another ball on his belt.

"Go Charmander!" he yelled as the familiar orange lizard formed between him and the girl.

The girl eyed the lizard, and took a couple more steps back. "So now you're going to attack me?"

"What kind of trainer do you think I am? Don't answer that… Of course I won't attack you. In fact, I was going to propose a battle."

"A battle…?" she asked, this time taking a step towards Red.

* * *

"Squirtle! Water Gun!"

Blue's Squirtle took a deep breath, ignoring the pain caused by the cuts and bruises covering its body, and sent a large jet of water to Green's Pidgey. The bird pokemon stood its ground though, and faced the jet head on.

Behind it, Green yelled out. "Pidgey, use Sand Attack!"

The small bird suddenly turned around and started kicking sand into the air. Blue watched as a thick cloud of dust and sand slowly formed and hid the bird from view. As the water gun hit the cloud, the sand quickly absorbed the water, thickening into a dark brown mud, which fell to Pidgey's feet.

"Now, Mud Slap!"

Getting a claw full of mud, Pidgey started throwing clumps of it at Squirtle.

"Withdraw!"

Squirtle quickly jumped and concealed its limbs into its shell, hiding its hands, legs and head from the upcoming mud. With a splat, bundles of mud landed on the exposed shell.

"Rapid Spin, Squirtle!"

At that, Squirtle's shell started spinning, rapidly gaining speed. As it did, the clumps of mud started flying off the shell until eventually, they were returned to Green's opposing Pidgey, full force.

Green, seeing the upcoming mud, hesitated. He then ordered his pokemon to dodge, but it was too slow. Its feathers slowly got covered with the heavy mud, weighing it down. Continuing the Rapid Spin, Squirtle's shell shot off the ground and spun towards Pidgey, hitting it square in the chest. The impact sent the bird back, and it hit the ground hard.

"Finish it off with another Water Gun!"

Still in the air, Squirtle popped back out from its shell and once again sent a jet of water from its mouth, hitting the mud-covered bird before it. Green's Pidgey lost consciousness under the pressure and force of the water, which was evident to all when the turtle subdued the jet. Squirtle fell back to the ground, landing softly on the mud.

Pidgey then disappeared into a red jet of light as Green raised his pokeball. "Good battle Pidgey, though you definitely need more training." He then looked up at Blue, who was removing dirt and sand from her Squirtle.

"You don't battle much, do you?"

At that, she looked up at him, confused. "I do so. Red and I battle nearly half a dozen times a day. We consider it good training."

Green shook his head. "I think that's part of the problem. You're not battling enough different trainers. Your style's too similar to Red's."

She frowned. "And is that a bad thing?"

"A Pokemon battle is supposed to reveal what kind of trainer the battler is." He snapped back. "Trainers need to develop their unique battling style or else it'll seem like they're copying someone else's. At the moment, you're too heavily influenced by him."

"And how do you suppose I change that?" she asked calmly, not wanting to start an argument with him.

He sighed. "The only advice I can give you is to stop traveling with Red and carry on on your own."

"Eh?" His advice shocked her. _How can he even suggest that? Red and I, we've always talked about traveling the world together. We both knew Green would go and leave on his own so we weren't too surprised about that. But it was always supposed to be just Red and I. I can't leave him now, after our adventure just started. Not after… everything_

She watched as Green shrugged once more. "I can see you're not too keen about my advice. Still, that bit about a trainer being reflected in his battles is true. In fact, it was told to me by someone I respect despite everything. So, I hope you take to heart that key fact as much as I do."

He glanced at the ball in his hand, and then looked up at the night sky. "I'm going to go back to the Center and heal my Pidgey." He then stood silent, avoiding Blue's eyes as he kept on admiring the sky. "You should go back to Red. Wouldn't want him to stay lost in that forest."

At the mention of Red, she snapped out of her thoughts and got to her feet. Returning Squirtle to his pokeball, she looked at Green and nodded. "Right."

She paused. "Until next time Green."

She then turned north and started the long trip back to the forest, leaving Green behind her who simply watched her leave in silence.

* * *

Red was beyond shocked at had just happened before him. After his Charmander had won the battle, he watched as the girl ran to her defeated Pokemon and took it into her arms. He then stood, amazed, as the girl's own Pikachu, this one different from his own due to the fact that the tip of its tail had a small indentation, slowly started glowing.

Before long, the various burns and bruises it had endured during the battle vanished under the glow. Within a couple of minutes, the light faded and her Pikachu regained consciousness and looked just like it had before the battle. Red was still wondering how she had managed to heal her pokemon, staring at the yellow mouse, and he didn't notice her walk up to him and extend her hand, his own Pikachu's pokeball in it.

"Here," she said, "Take it. From that battle, I know you're not as bad of a trainer I initially took you for."

She then turned to his Charmander and smiled. "Your Charmander really trusts you. I guess I can do the same regarding this Pikachu."

Shaking his shock away, he put the ball back on his belt and extended his own hand. "Thanks for that. My name's Red."

"I'm Yellow." And they shook hands.

Red once again looked back at the girl's Pikachu and frowned. "Say, Yellow, how were you able to heal your Pikachu without items like that?"

But the girl ignored his question, instead turning to his Charmander and took it into her arms, repeating the healing process once more. She then walked to her Pikachu and let it climb up her arm. It then made its way on top of her straw hat, where it eventually settled.

"You're not from Viridian, are you Red?"

Frustrated that she had ignored his question, Red took a deep breath, calming himself down, before replying. "No, I'm not. I'm from Pallet, a small town beyond the city."

"Oh, cool." She said, making her way deeper into the forest; forcing Red to follow her. "I'm from Viridian, but I prefer it here. Back in the city, it was only Pikachu and I. At least out here, I get to meet lots of different pokemon."

Walking through the forest, Red inquired to know how she got her Pikachu if she initially lived outside the forest. In response, she told him how she had received an egg from her parents as a child; an egg that one day hatched into a Pichu, which then evolved into Pikachu. This shifted the conversation and soon, the two were talking about their past, getting to know each other a bit more. Red learned she had become an orphan at a young age, as well as more about the city of Viridian.

He, in turn, told her about Pallet and his childhood friends and rivals Blue and Green, as well as his quest to be the greatest pokemon trainer there ever was. They continued exchanging pleasantries and small talk until they both found themselves sitting at the edge of a small lake, looking at the moon reflect off the silent unmoving water. By then, silence had fallen between them, both enjoying the view before them.

The silence stayed until Yellow asked Red a question he wasn't expecting. "Have you ever heard of the pokemon Mew?"

"Mew?" he asked in return.

"It's the pokemon talked about in legend back in Viridian. It's said to have once flown across the lands of Kanto in big numbers, though these days you're lucky if you can catch a glimpse of one in your lifetime."

Red didn't speak. Instead, he was intrigued. Having grown up near Professor Oak, he had heard him talk about various pokemon who have become legendary for their immense power and dwindling, near extinct numbers. But, hearing the girl talk about Mew, Red wondered if she knew more about it than she let on. By then, he had been looking at the girl as she spoke, and wondered why she had suddenly become silent. Immediately after, she laughed.

"You must really be a good-hearted trainer."

Confused, he asked. "Why do you say that?"

She smiled and pointed towards the lake. "Because this is the first time I've seen Mew shown itself to anyone other than me."

At her words, Red quickly turned back to the waters and was shocked to see a small pink pokemon floating in the air above the lake. It was enclosed inside an equally pink bubble, which seemed to shine in the moonlight. Mew simply hovered in place, watching the two teenagers.

"Mew's the reason I came to the forest in the first place." She then explained. "Shortly after my parents died, I ventured here with Pikachu one night and Mew flew right in front of me. I don't think it knew I was there, or else it wouldn't have shown itself so easily. I only saw it for a second but it was enough for me to want to see it again."

Her smile became bigger as Mew slowly flew towards the two of them, its eyes on Red. "Mew started trusting me a few months later and I started seeing it more often. In fact, it's due to Mew that I have my healing powers." She said, looking at her hands.

"About a year ago or so, I was being chased by a nest of Beedrills and I tripped, badly hurting my knee. Just as I thought I was about to be impaled by their spiked-arms, Mew flew between me and the angry nest. It then scared them off with its power. Following that, it lightly touched my injured knee, healing it instantly, before flying away once more. Since then, I've been able to do the same thing to other pokemon and people"

"Wow…" was all Red could say in response, unsure what to say in reply to her tale. Both of them were then silent as Mew hovered right in front of them.

The three of them stayed there, basked in the moonlight until a distant noise startled Mew. Spinning towards the sound, it cocked its head to the side before rising up above the trees and flew off. Red heard Yellow sigh beside him.

"Mew's been hiding itself a lot more lately, almost like it's avoiding something. It used to more carefree within the forest but now, it's been growing cautious."

Before Red could reply, a sharp yell pierced the night.

"RED! Where are you?!"

Red recognised the voice and got to his feet. "That's Blue; she must be looking for me."

He then started running in the direction he heard his friend, before abruptly stopping and looking back at Yellow. "Are you coming with me?"

She shook her head. "No, I'll stay here and wait for Mew again." She then turned to him and smiled. "You'll come back through right? It's not everyday I meet a trainer as kind hearted as you."

Red nodded, embarrassed by her compliment. "For sure, it's a promise! Until then, it was nice meeting you Yellow, take care."

"Bye Red." Came her reply.

And with that, Red left the girl from the forest behind him, grinning like an idiot knowing that Blue will never believe his story.


	3. Chapter Three, Gym Leader Brock

**Hey everyone! Here's the next installment of Red's Adventure! This was easily the funnest chapter to write thus far and I really hope you enjoy it! If you do, please take the time to either favorite or follow my story, as well as write a review. Or not, just the fact you bothered to read it is enough for me. Again, enjoy!**

* * *

**Pokemon – Red's Adventure**

**Chapter Three: Gym Leader Brock**

A couple days had passed since Red's encounter with Mew and while he had spent an extra day in the forest to train, neither he nor Blue had seen the elusive legendary pokemon again. Nor did they run into the blonde girl Yellow. Nevertheless, having also failed to capture rare bug pokemon, the duo now found themselves in Pewter City, anxiously waiting their battle against its local gym leader.

Upon arriving at the Pokemon Center, they learned that Green, who had managed to pass them during their extra day exploring the forest, had already defeated the leader, and had moved onwards to Mt. Moon. Red, fired up at the news, had yelled out "I'm not going to let him take the lead!" in the center's lobby. It was then that Blue reminded him that Brock, Pewter's leader, almost exclusively used rock type pokemon to test young, early trainers.

"While rock type pokemon have multiple weaknesses," she had explained, "those types aren't common in this region of Kanto, and very hard to come across." She had then pointed to Red's Charmander and the pokeballs attached to his belt. "In fact, you're only carrying a fire and an electric type; both of which are weak to rock!"

Red, in his typical carefree nature, had simply smiled. "Its battles like those that push trainers to become better. It forces them to be creative, and overcome the odds."

Although even he agreed that Blue made a fair point. And that was the reason why Red had decided to spend a couple days training his pokemon before challenging Brock. However, saying his training was going well couldn't be further from the truth.

Red was sitting on a small hill, deep in thought, with Charmander at his side as Blue approached them. It wasn't until she was at his side and spoke that he acknowledged her. "What's wrong Red? You seem… concerned."

"It's my Pikachu." He said, showing her a pokeball. "No matter how much I try to train it, it refuses to obey a single command. Sure, I can send into battle and it'll defeat its opponent just fine, but it does so without my help. It's frustrating!"

"Well, Green did say the stronger the pokemon, the harder it is for an inexperienced trainer to battle with it."

Red simply frowned at that. "But still! Pikachu must see that I'm going to be a great trainer one day! It could at least give me a chance!"

"Even the greatest of pokemon trainers must start off somewhere." Blue replied, giving him a sigh.

Red said nothing more, instead taking his Charmander into his arms and started petting its head, something that calmed him down. He then looked up at the sky, watching a flock of Pidgeys fly towards the distant Viridian Forest. It was only until they were beyond his line of sight that he said "I can't be that bad of a trainer, for Mew to have trusted me like that."

Blue hated when he brought up his encounter with the legendary pokemon; not because she was sceptical it happened, Red wasn't the type to lie when it involved pokemon, but simply because she was jealous he experienced it without her. Not to mention the girl Yellow he kept on talking about.

She sat down beside him and enjoyed the view before them. She decided to wait a couple minutes before talking again, relishing the silence between them. "The locals say that Brock's finished clearing most of the cave-in that blocked the entrance to Diglett Cave. They said we should give him an hour to relax and fully heal his pokemon before following through with out request to battle." She looked down to Charmander and smiled. "Are you ready for this Red? Our first gym leader battle…"

He returned his Charmander to its pokeball and got to his feet, brushing the dirt off his blue jeans. He smiled back. "Been ready all morning. Come on; let's go show Brock what trainers from Pallet can do."

* * *

Two hours later, the pair found themselves in front of Brock's gym. Giving each other a nod, Red opened the doors and marched through, Blue trailing behind him. They walked passed a large, dirt battlefield that was covered with huge towering boulders. They found Brock near the back of the building, rummaging through a supply bag at his feet. His dark skin and black hair almost hid him in the dim light of the building. He turned to them as they approached and smiled.

"Hey Red, hey Blue. Sorry to keep the two of you waiting. It took longer than I initially thought to clear out that cave."

Blue gave the leader a smile. "Don't worry about it. In fact, we're both thankful you take the time to do it. Should we ever need to travel through that cave, it's good to know that there's someone who makes sure that it's safe enough from beginning to end."

At this, Brock gave a laugh, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "You flatter me Blue. It's my job as Pewter's leader to make sure all roads to and from the city are safe for aspiring trainer. Though I should make time to visit Mt. Moon, that place has become a wreck lately. But enough of that." he said, clapping his hands, "I promised you two a battle today." He then turned to Red. "I also heard that you've been training hard in my absence. Think you're ready to take on a gym leader?"

"Hell yeah! Let's get this show started!" the young man anxiously replied.

Brock smiled. "That's what I like to hear. Now, how many pokemons will you two be using? I need to know so I can prepare my team."

Red answered first. "I'll be using two."

His reply shocked Blue, who turned to look at him before adding. "And I'll only be using one."

Brock nodded. "So that gives me the option of using three different pokemon. I think I know just the ones to use." he said, giving the two a smirk. "I'll let you two decide who goes first. Once you do, place take your place on the opposite side of the battlefield. Best of luck to the both of you."

With that, Brock grabbed his bag, attached three pokeballs to the belt holding his shorts and made his way to his end of the battlefield, crossing his arms. Watching the leader go, Blue whispered to Red. "You're using Pikachu? You said it refuses to battle with you."

Red only gave her a smile. "Whenever I sent Pikachu to battle, it only used its electric attack to finish its opponents. This is the perfect opportunity to learn what other moves it knows." He then nodded towards the battlefield. "I'll let you go first."

He said nothing more after that, and walked to the seat to the side of the field, watching as Blue took her place across from Brock. The leader waited until the girl was ready, before throwing a pokeball.

"Go! Geodude!"

As the ball opened, a large brown rock materialised on the field, lifting itself up with its two hands. Brock pocketed the ball just as Blue got hers off her belt.

"Brock almost exclusively uses rock types," she mumbled to herself. "This will be a piece of cake. Let's do this Squirtle!" she yelled as she threw her pokeball, summoning her Squirtle to oppose Brock's Geodude.

Upon seeing the water type, Brock smirked. "So, she has a water type. Well, this will be fun."

A large bell suddenly echoed through the gym, starting the battle.

Blue wasted no time and launched an offensive. "Squirtle, use your Water Gun!"

The small turtle before her readied itself and spat out a large jet of cold water. From the sidelines, Red watched the water arc in the sky and decent towards the rock pokemon that had, surprisingly, not moved yet. Behind it, Brock still smirked. Watching the water close in on Geodude, Red knew that Blue's victory wasn't going to be easy. "Don't lower your guard Blue!" he yelled out.

"Your friend's correctly Blue; I'm not a gym leader for nothing." Brock suddenly said. Just as the water was about to submerge his Geodude, the leader voiced his command. "Ice Punch!"

The rock pokemon lifted one of its stone hands, which was suddenly hidden beneath a bright blue light, and punched the incoming jet of water. Blue watched, shocked, as the arc quickly froze, the ice heading for her Squirtle. "Shit, stop the water Squirtle!"

The turtle released the jet just as its end froze over. It stayed suspended in the air for a second before crashing down between Squirtle and Geodude. When the ice hit the floor, it shattered; covering the air between the two pokemon with ice chunks and a fine mist. Still smirking, Brock decided to take advantage of the ice. "Geodude, throw some of those ice shards at her Squirtle."

Using its super strength, Geodude grabbed the nearest ice chunk, aimed, and threw the shard at the turtle.

"Withdraw!"

Squirtle quickly jumped into its shell, hiding its soft limbs just as the ice hit its back. Upon contact, the shard shattered, covering the turtle with smaller ice pellets as the shell slid across the floor. As it immerged from its protection, it took a step back in surprise. While it hid, Geodude had lunched itself into the air, soaring fast towards Squirtle.

"Thunder Punch Geodude!"

Red, grinning at the battle, saw Geodude's right hand glow in a familiar light, except it shined a bright yellow this time around. Its movements a blur, Geodude punched Blue's Squirtle right under its head, sending the turtle backwards through the air, where it hit one of the rocks that covered the field. The rock shattered from the impact and Squirtle feel down its length, landing hard on the ground.

Brock chuckled. "I don't normally use the elemental punches; it adds a degree of difficulty that most new trainers can't handle. But you kids from Pallet have a reputation to uphold. Green was no pushover."

Blue cursed her friend under her breath and asked her Squirtle to get back to its feet, which it did with difficulty. The thunder punch had weakened it more than she originally thought. "I've got to be more careful." She said, as Brock's Geodude once more made for her Squirtle.

"Let's go for another Thunder Punch!"

As the pokemon get ready to throw its third punch, Blue had Squirtle stand its ground. "Use Protect!"

A green window-like field appear before the turtle just as Geodude swung. Its fist hit hard, the contact echoing through the gym. But the barrier held and protected Squirtle from the blow. Following Blue's next command, Squirtle let out another Water Gun while Geodude was recovering from its punch's impact.

This time around, the jet of water hit its mark and Geodude was propelled back, shattering rocks as the water forced the pokemon through them. Behind it, Brock frowned. "I didn't think that was going to work twice. Geodude, Rock Throw!"

As Geodude collided with a third rock, it took its tip and threw it at the opposing turtle. Squirtle, seeing the rock flying towards it, was forced to stop the jet of water to dodge the upcoming boulder. Across the field, Geodude shook the water off its body and grunted.

"This isn't good. Geodude hit too many rocks during her attack. Let's finish this quickly. Geodude, use Double-Edge!"

Once more using its hands to lift itself off the now wet ground, it launched itself towards Squirtle with a blinding speed. In response, Blue had Squirtle spit another Water Gun, but the added opposition barely even slowed down the upcoming rock. Cursing, she quickly realised an impact at that speed would cause her to lose the battle. Suddenly, Blue had an idea and yelled out a command.

"Rapid Spin!"

Brock watched, confused, as Blue's Squirtle jumped into its shell again, this time rapidly spinning in place as the shell spun on the dry, dirt covered floor beneath it. It was only once he saw the small cloud of dirt and dust that was lifted into the air, quickly hiding the spinning turtle, that he realised that she was hiding her Squirtle from sight.

But Blue's plan was more elaborate than that.

"Shit! Geodude, stop!"

But the rock pokemon was already flying too fast and was unable to stop. It passed through the cloud of dust, clearing it instantly, and narrowly missed hitting Blue's newly exposed Squirtle, who had side-stepped to avoid the impact. As Geodude flew past it, Squirtle turned around and, per Blue's command, launched another Water Gun. This one hit the speeding Geodude and forced the pokemon to go faster. Rapidly gaining speed, it was unable to stop while the jet of water pushed it into the wall at the far end of the gym.

The impact formed a crater inside the wall, sending bits and pieces of hard stone across the floor. As the dust from the crash cleared, Geodude, who was stuck inside the nook it had formed, rolled out and hit the floor, unconscious.

The bell once again echoed through the gym, announcing the end of the battle.

Hearing it, Blue jumped in joy and ran to her Squirtle, taking it into her arms. "We did it Squirtle! We beat Brock!"

Brock, who had returned Geodude to its pokeball, walked up to the celebrating girl and held out his hand. With a large smile, she took what was in it.

"That's the Boulderbadge, proof that you defeated me in battle. Congrats Blue, you've earned it."

"Alright Squirtle," she said, showing the turtle the badge, "we've earned ourselves our first badge!" The tired turtle gave her a wide grin.

Her celebration was cut short however because by then, Red had walked up to the three of them and placed his arm on her shoulder. "Good job Blue, that was an excellent battle." He then turned to Brock. "Alright Brock, now it's my turn to battle you!" he exclaimed, enthusiastic and determined.

* * *

A couple minutes passed and Red was now facing Brock on his end of the battlefield. Blue was off to the side, sitting on the seat Red had sat earlier, admiring her new badge. From across the field, Brock yelled out to Red.

"As a reminder, we agreed on using two pokemons. Best of luck to you Red!"

Not awaiting Red's reply, he took out a pokeball and opened it, sending out a Sandshrew on his side of the battlefield. From her seat, Blue eyed the pokemon, confused. "Sandshrew isn't a rock type. Why is Brock…?"

Brock, having heard her, replied to her unfinished question. "I may specialize in rock pokemon but it's not a type I want to use exclusively for gym battles. I find that Sandshrew, being a ground type, adds a nice variety from time to time, while keeping the general idea of my rock themed gym."

"Doesn't matter to me!" Red yelled out, readying his own pokeball. "I'll defeat whatever you send out. Go, Pikachu!"

Blue suddenly got nervous and pocketed her badge. She watched the small, yellow mouse materialize on the battlefield and felt a drop of sweat form on the side of her head. _Pikachu still refuses to listen to Red when he sends it into battle. I know he wants to learn more of Pikachu's moves but… This better not be a bad idea._

"I hope you know what you're doing Red." She whispered to herself.

Brock's smile brightened upon seeing Red's pokemon choice. "An electric type? This will definitely prove to be interesting. Deliberately putting yourself at a disadvantage; that won't make me go easy on you Red."

As he spoke, Pikachu, shaking itself into awareness, took note of its surroundings. It turned and saw Red, who gave it a warm smile. The pokemon frowned and looked at the Sandshrew before it. It started producing an electric attack just as the starting bell sounded, commencing the battle.

Red, seeing that his Pikachu was about to attack, quickly yelled out, "Thunderbolt!"

Sparks emerged from the mouse's cheeks and a bolt of electricity shot out to the opposing Sandshrew. It made no effort to avoid the attack however and was hit by the surge of electricity. The bolt flickered and a bright white light flashed throughout the gym, blinding everyone for a fraction of a second. Once it faded, the bolt was gone and Sandshrew stood undamaged.

Pikachu, expecting the battle to be over, turned to look at Red, getting ready to attack him as well when it caught a glimpse of the pokemon it had just electrocuted. Seeing that its attack had no affect, it turned back to the Sandshrew and growled.

Brock simply shrugged. "I had hoped that you knew that electric attacks had no affect on ground types Red. You disappoint me." He then yelled out to his Sandshrew, ordering it to attack. "Swift Sandshrew!"

Advancing towards the still shocked Pikachu, Sandshrew started swinging its arms forward, the action producing small stars that flew towards the mouse. "Dodge it Pikachu!" Red said from behind it.

Whether Pikachu had followed his order or had simply decided to dodge the attack on its own was unknown to Red. Nevertheless, using a Quick Attack, Pikachu avoided the attack by rapidly jumping to the side, a white light trailing behind it. Continuing the attack, it then darted towards Sandshrew who had stopped the Swift in order to brace itself from the coming impact.

But Pikachu didn't hit the opposing Sandshrew. Instead, it stopped right in front of it and released another blinding electrical attack at point blank range, hiding both of them in a bright light.

"I told you, that won't work!" Red heard Brock yell. "Slash!"

Hidden beneath the light, Sandshrew raised its claws and slashed Pikachu's forehead, creating a deep gash that sent the mouse recoiling back in pain. Seeing that Pikachu was busy rubbing the wound with its small paws, Red quickly thought back to when he chased Pikachu through Viridian Forest, remembering a move that Pikachu had used to try and avoid him. Hoping his pokemon would obey him, he shouted out. "Pikachu, Double Team!"

Shaking its head in an effort to get rid of the pain, Pikachu suddenly faded and split into two, then into four, then into six. Soon, more then a dozen faded Pikachus were visible, creating a circle around Brock's Sandshrew. From the side, Blue gasped in surprise.

_Did Pikachu just obey one of Red's commands?_

Red watched as Pikachu surrounded Sandshrew, equally shocked as Blue. "Now if only I knew more of its offensive moves." He mumbled to himself. Unable to think of anything else, he said "Now Quick Attack!"

But whether Pikachu followed his second command was unknown. Just as Red had voiced his attack, Brock had done the same, yelling "Sandstorm!"

Following that, Sandshrew curved up into a ball and started spinning, recreating the effect Blue's Squirtle had done in the battle prior: creating a cloud that hid both pokemon. Blinded by the dust, Pikachu cancelled its Double Team and used a Quick Attack to get onto clear ground.

"Now, use another Swift!"

From within the cloud, Sandshrew swung its arms once more, blindly shooting stars all around it creating a horizontal arc of stars. The motion caused the cloud to thin and, having a better view of Red's Pikachu, it started sending a barrage of stars in its direction.

"Dodge it Pikachu!"

But, due to the circular wave of stars that Sandshrew unleashed seconds prior, Pikachu had nowhere to go and was hit by the attack. Quickly recovering from the impact though, it used another Quick Attack and started dashing across the field. Sandshrew, in an attempt to hit it again with its Swift onslaught, kept on trying to turn towards Pikachu. Unfortunately, its speed was nothing compared to that of the small mouse.

Unsure of what to attack to use, Red simply yelled out, "Now attack!" expecting Pikachu to hit Sandshrew with its Quick Attack head on. It was clear that that was what Sandshrew expected as well and once more the pokemon stood its ground, bracing itself for the impact.

But what Pikachu did next surprised everyone. Seconds from hitting the ground type, Pikachu twisted in mid-air, swinging its tail towards Sandshrew's under-belly. The mouse's tail suddenly glowed with a white light and used it to propel Brock's pokemon through the air, blasting it through rocks and debris. Sandshrew hit the wall behind Brock, knocking it unconscious, just as Pikachu fell back on the ground, the glow on its tail fading.

"Was that Iron Tail?" Blue called out from her seat.

But Red ignored her, instead he cheered on his Pikachu, glad for his victory. Across from him, Brock returned his Sandshrew and smiled. "That, was unexpected." he said happily. Switching pokeballs, his smile grew wider. "But, how will you overcome this? Go, Onix!"

Pikachu, who had started rubbing the scratch on its head again, stopped upon the sudden appearance of the giant rock snake before it. Brock's Onix let out a growl that shook the ground, ruining Pikachu's balance and it fell on its back. Onix then slammed its tail on the ground, creating a small earthquake that carried throughout the gym. The force of the quake lifted Pikachu off the ground, allowing it to regain its footing for a second.

"Quick Attack Pikachu!"

That one second was all Pikachu needed because it then launched itself toward Onix, white light in its wake. Aiming for the large snake's head, it jumped into the air just as Red yelled, "Iron Tail!"

Once again twisting in mid-air, Pikachu aimed its tail at the giant head. Behind it, Brock gave a small laugh. "You think that'll work again? Use Harden Onix!"

Onix's entire body suddenly stiffened, light reflecting off its body giving it a shine. It didn't move as Pikachu's Iron Tail collided with its head. But the attack did nothing.

"Now follow through with Headbutt!"

As Pikachu fell in front of the giant, Onix reared its head backwards and lunged it towards the electric mouse, hitting it with a powerful blow. Pikachu rocketed back, bouncing hard off the ground floor only to hit one of the few remaining rocks spread across the field, blasting through it. The mouse released a sharp cry as it hit the ground again, landing on its stomach.

Red, seeing the amount of damage the attack did to Pikachu, took hold of its pokeball, fully expecting Pikachu to be unable to battle. But, glancing back to the field, he saw his pokemon on its feet once more, panting in pain and exhaustion.

"Wow," Brock said, amazed, "That's one sturdy little mouse. That wasn't the lightest of blows either."

On the side of the field, Blue had her hand over her mouth. When she saw Pikachu hit the ground, she had cried out and had hoped it stayed down. But now, seeing it back on its feet, she feared what was going to happen. _I knew Red's Pikachu was strong but this is unbelievable. That attack should've knocked it right out... Why did it get back up? Does it refuse to accept defeat?_ She looked the pokeball that Red was holding in his hand. She then gasped as Pikachu took a step towards Onix, growling menacingly.

_Please Red, don't make Pikachu keep on battling._

Red simply stared at his Pikachu, his grip tightening on the ball in his hand. Across from him, Brock crossed his arms, watching Red with a keen eye. His Onix simply lay on the battlefield, its head high, looking at the yellow mouse. Pikachu, struggling to maintain its footing, took another step towards the rock snake. It turned to Red though when it heard him speak.

"Pikachu, return."

He raised the pokeball and opened it, producing a red beam from its core. The beam shot out and hit Pikachu, which was snarling at the young trainer. It disappeared into the pokeball, leaving only a faint foot impression where it had stood. Red looked at the ball in his hand and gave it a faint smile. "You did great Pikachu. Thank you."

Brock gave a heavy sigh. "You made a good call Red. I didn't misjudge you when I took you for a strong trainer. I would've hurt me to continue battling that Pikachu." He then smiled at the trainer from Pallet. "But, we have a battle to finish. Go on, challenge my Onix!"

Adjusting his cap and wiping the sweat from his brows, he raised his second pokeball, a gleam in his brown eyes. He threw the ball, watched as it opened in the air and produced his faithful starter. As the ball returned to his hand, he grinned as Charmander took form between himself the Brock's Onix.

"A Charmander?" Brock asked, "Again, you're putting yourself at a disadvantage. I hope you know what you're doing Red; for your sake."

Red ignored his statement, simply saying "You're move Brock."

From the side, Blue stared at Charmander, comparing its size to the massive rock snake leering in front of it. _How does Red even hope to accomplish this?_

Brock smirked. "Fine by me. Onix, Screech!"

At his order, Onix bellowed, unleashing a loud noise that forced Red to cover his ears. His Charmander fared worst, falling to its knees at the sound.

"Now Rock Throw!"

Slamming its tail hard on the ground, Onix sent large rocks into the air which it then propelled at Red's Charmander, once again with the use of its tail. Charmander, still recovering from the Screech, was unable to avoid the attack and was sent backwards as a large rock hit it hard. Now covered in bruises, it got back to it feet, fearlessly staring down at the stone snake once more.

"Charmander, try an Ember attack!"

Charmander let out a small roar at it produced a flame, launching it at Onix who simply backed from the heat. Red growled in frustration, seeing that his attack had little to no effect.

Brock smiled. "You won't be able to beat my Onix with petty flames Red! Onix, send it into the air!"

With a roar, Onix slammed its tail into the ground once more, this time producing another small earthquake. Just like with Pikachu, Charmander was lifted off the ground and was unable to move as Onix closed in. "Now Headbutt!"

"Smokescreen Char!"

As the snake drew near, Charmander tilted its head towards the ground and let out a small black puff. The puff, upon hitting the floor, erupted and formed a large black cloud that covered Charmander just as Onix's head reached he fire pokemon.

From behind the snake, Brock yelled out. "What happened? Was Charmander hit?"

Onix, coughing in the smoke, shook its large head back and forth, creating a gust of wind that cleared the field of Charmander's evasive attack. As the black cloud disappeared, it became apparent that not only had Onix's attack missed but that Charmander had vanished.

"What the… Where'd he go?"

"Perfect Charmander! Now use Metal Claw!"

A sharp glow suddenly appeared atop of Onix's head and it was then that Brock saw that Charmander had escaped by climbing onto his pokemon. The orange lizard raised its hand, claws glowing bright, and scratched the giant snake's head, sending small bits of rocks falling down its length. Onix roared from the pain.

"Onix, Slam it off your head."

Red smiled. "Hold on Charmander!"

And that is exactly what Charmander did, as Onix brought its large head down to the battlefield below. The impact shattered the field, destroying all the remaining rocks and creating large fissure that cut through the field. Red stepped to the side as one dug its way to where he was standing. But he kept on smiling; Onix had misjudged its strength and the impact had done more damage to itself than anything else. And, still holding atop of its head, was Red's Charmander.

From the sidelines, Blue had gotten to her feet to avoid the quake that followed Onix's slam. She simply stared at the field before her, awed by Red's battling. _He's using that giant's own strength against itself. Incredible…_

Brock, frustrated that Charmander still had a hold of his pokemon, ordered Onix to use another Screech attack. The resulting sound was as bad as the first one and Charmander, unable to block out the noise, fell off the large head as Onix flung it to the side. Brock, now smiling, took advantage of the fact that Charmander was now defenceless. "Now, use Dragonbreath!"

Onix drew in a large breath and exhaled a lime green substance at the falling pokemon. Red ordered a counter attack and Charmander released more embers, which collided with the putrid breath, resulting in a large explosion. The force sent Charmander to the ground faster, creating a small crater upon its impact. Now covered in multiple bruises and deep gashes, Charmander struggled to its feet, breathing heavily.

Brock, watching Charmander's efforts, saddened. "I'm sorry Red, but this is it for your Charmander. Onix, use another Dragonbreath!"

But Red simply smiled and yelled to his Charmander. "Quick Char, use Ember!"

As Onix inhaled, on the floor beneath it, Charmander send out a last desperate ember. Onix, avoiding the heat, moved its head to the side and exhaled, releasing the Dragonbreath. Immediately, the flames mixed with the gases from the breath and once again created an explosion. This time though, the bulk of the blast was inches away from the large beast's rocky head.

Searing Onix's face black, the explosion made it recoil hard to the side. The resulting speed made it hit the wall beside it, nearly tearing it down with its bulk. But the force of the impact was strong enough to defeat the beast and it fell to the ground, sending one last quake through the gym as it lost consciousness.

The gym's bell resounded through the gym, signalling the end of the battle.

Charmander, seeing its opponent fall, smiled and succumbed to its exhaustion falling to the fractured floor. Red, unable to stop grinning, took out a pokeball and returned Charmander. "You were great out there Char. You deserve a long break."

He watched as Brock did the same to his Onix and kept on grinning as Blue approached him, ecstatic. "That was wonderful Red! Truly a fantastic battle; I'm awed. Congrats!"

Brock, who was now walking towards the duo, gave them a smile. "I concur Red; I haven't had a battle that grand in a long time." He reached them and held out his hand like he had done to Blue. "Go ahead and take this. You more than deserve it."

Red stared at the Boulderbadge in the leader's hand and took it. Unable to contain his excitement, he jumped into the air, fist high. "Alright! I've obtained my first badge!"

As Red admired his new badge, Brock turned and examined his now destroyed gym. Most of the walls were filled with cracks, holes and fissures. A large crater, where Onix had slammed its head, now replaced his battlefield and the various rocks that showed the theme to his gym had all been shattered. He laughed.

"And I've obtained the right to a new gym."


	4. Chapter Four, Mt Moon

**Sorry everyone for not updating in a couple weeks time. Uni just started and the initial school work caught up with me, eliminating all my free time. Feeling like I was neglecting you all, I wrote this as soon as I can.**

**My schedule should also be more steady now so expect more ASAP! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Pokemon – Red's Adventure**

**Chapter Four: Mt. Moon**

Red sat in the lobby of a Pokemon Center built at the end of Route 03, frowning at the pokeball before him. Ever since the battle with Brock, his Pikachu has refused to battle whilst before it had electrocuted everything that opposed it. It saddened him that while he kept on being complimented on his skills as a trainer, he couldn't tame a lone Pikachu. He groaned in frustration, removing his cap and running his hands through his black hair.

Once again, he recalled Pikachu's behavior during the battle. Even now, he couldn't figure out why the mouse had suddenly decided to obey his order. Back then, he didn't want to question it because it had allowed him to obtain his first badge, which was now stored in a case Blue had bought for him after purchasing a separate one for herself.

His thoughts quickly shifting to Blue, he glanced up at Blue who was talking to Nurse Joy, having just recovered her Squirtle, who had been damaged in a battle outside the entrance of Mt. Moon. Even she wondered why Pikachu's conduct had changed during that faithful battle, the two having had a very lengthy conversation on the subject throughout their travels after leaving Pewter City.

"I think I might have an idea as to why Pikachu's behavior's been changing lately." he remembered her saying during their talk. "It's too prideful."

'Prideful?" he had inquired.

"Think about it; ever since you caught it, it's been defeating all of its opponents using the same electric attack. We both know it's stronger than your average pokemon, or else it wouldn't have been able to accomplish that. So, being as prideful as it is, it refuses to take orders from someone else, wanting to continue battling on its own."

"Ok," he agreed, "but how does that explain it suddenly listening to me while fighting Brock?"

"You said so yourself, you wanted to see more of Pikachu's attacks against a pokemon it couldn't defeat. It had to electrocute Brock's Sandshrew twice before realising electric attacks won't work. I think that, in that moment of confusion, it decided to listen to you just to see if you could help it defeat Sandshrew using a different method than electricity." She explained.

"Leading to Pikachu using an Iron Tail to win the battle." He concluded.

"Exactly! And I believe it continued to listen to you during the battle with Onix for that same reason."

"So, at the time, Pikachu understood that it wasn't able to defeat both Sandshrew and Onix on its own and had allowed me to modify its battle style in order for it to win." He concluded.

Blue shrugged. "That's the best explanation I can come up with."

Red nodded in agreement. "That doesn't explain why it now refuses to battle though."

"I think it's again due to its pride. Following Onix's attack, everyone in that gym underestimated Pikachu's strength and thought it was defeated. Instead, it got to its feet once more and wanted to continue the battle. I think what you did after that is what truly defeated Pikachu."

Red frowned. "Me returning Pikachu to its pokeball defeated it?"

She sighed. "It's too prideful; and you broke that pride by robbing it from its victory against Onix. You probably also made it lose whatever small trust it had in you at that point as well."

"There was no way no way Pikachu could've defeated Onix!" he said, louder than he intended. "You saw the trouble I had to go through to beat it when Charmander!"

"You think I don't know that?" she snapped back. "Try explaining that to that stubborn mouse of yours!"

Red took a deep breath, calming him down. "Let's not start yelling over this." He looked over at her, giving her a smile. "Thanks Blue. I appreciate that you put so much thought into the situation."

His smile relaxed her. She returned his smile and increased her pace towards the ever looming mountain before them. Behind her, Red sighed. "Why can't Pikachu understand that I was concerned about its safety during that battle…?"

Back in the Pokemon Center, he kept on looking at the ball before him. "You do understand that, don't you? Pikachu…"

"Have you heard? Goons from that uprising syndicate in Saffron were rumored to have been spotted near Cerulean."

"Yea, I did. They seem to be appearing throughout Kanto. I wonder what they're up too…"

Blue ignored the conversation the two men were having beside her, turning back to Red. Still standing where Nurse Joy had left her, she was concerned for her companion. She knew he cared deeply for his Pikachu, despite its reluctance to accept him as its trainer, and it hurt her to see Red so depressed.

While she had waited for the nurse to heal her Squirtle, she had called Professor Oak to ask him for his advice on the matter. The professor had told her that while a pokemon ignoring its new trainer wasn't uncommon, if Red was the great trainer they all acknowledged him to be, Pikachu should obey him over time. The thought that a famous professor believed in her friend gave her hope on the matter.

She made her way back to Red, sitting on the bench oppose from him. Upon her arrival, he pocketed the ball and gave her a smile. "How's Squirtle?"

She smiled back. "He's fully healed and prepared for our journey through the mountain. I've also restocked our supplies so we should be equipped for any inconvenience we might come across in the cave."

He replied with a nod and got to his feet. "Alright then, let's make our way through Mt. Moon!"

Following his lead, she got up from the table and they made their way to the entrance of the center. Outside, they started walking towards the giant mountain towering above them, eying the small cave at its base. On route, Blue spoke. "While I was waiting, I asked around for advice on how to safely pass through the cave."

At her words, Red frowned. "Damn, why didn't I think to do the same?"

She shrugged. "You had other concerns. Anyway, according to the local hikers, a path through the cave was established a few years ago, simplifying the hike." She pointed towards the giant mountain in the distance. "According to them, Mt. Moon was originally a hot spot for local miners and fossil hunters many centuries ago. They were the ones who first carved out the cave. Over time, various types of pokemon settled inside its depths and enlarged the cavern, extending its passageways deep underground."

"The locals say that the mountain was suddenly hit by a falling meteor, destroying most of the mining spots and nearly collapsing the entire cave. Following the event, they started calling it Mt. Moon. The citizens of Pewter City did their best to re-construct a direct and safe path through the cave towards Cerulean. However, they did warn me that most of the various side passages that still exist are very dangerous and prone to collapse should anything disturb them."

"We should stick to the main passage then." he concluded.

"Yes, we should." she agreed. "And that means no pokemon hunting adventures like the one we had in Viridian Forest!"

He laughed. "Alright, I promise; no exploring the side passages."

And with that, they continued their walk, both entering Mt. Moon.

* * *

"It's dark in here." was Blue's first words as they entered the cave. They found themselves immediately surrounded by large rocks, creating a large circular tunnel, spanning many leagues in the dark in front of them. Flickering torches lined the length of the walls, covering the rocks with gleaming orange shading. Making their way deeper inside the mountain, they saw smaller fissures and human-sized openings fading into pure blackness dug into the wall.

"Those must be the dreaded collapsing passages you told me about." Red said, approaching one of them, peering into its dark void.

Walking up behind him, Blue hesitated as she looked down the opening. "Red, you promised…"

Ignoring her, Red reached for his belt and summoned his Charmander. At its arrival, light produced from the flame on its tail brightened the cave, allowing Red to look further down the fissure. Taking a step into it, he spoke, awed. "Wow, this place is amazing. So cool." He turned to Blue behind him who was glaring at him, angry. He smiled. "Imagine the rare pokemon that must live down there."

Watching him, Blue saw his expression go from amazed to curious. He tilted his head, angling himself so he can see behind her. Equally curious, Blue turned around and followed his gaze to a small pink pokemon that waddled through the cave, oblivious to the two of them. Flightless-wings adorned its back and large black ears contrasted with its pink body. Its large round tail gently lay on the stone floor as it leaned down, examining a small stone at its feet.

Blue, watching the pokemon, struggled to recall its name. "That's a Clefairy right? They're rumored to have appeared in the cave following the disaster with the meteor. It's said they only live in here." Concerned, she turned back to Red and noticed the sparkle in his eyes. "Red, no!"

But he once again ignored her, running past her with his Charmander. "Go Charmander! Scratch!"

But the small pink pokemon also heard his command and lifted its head to the two trainers and the small lizard that was running towards it. The Clefairy panicked, dropping the rock it was examining and ran, also dodging Charmander's attack. Turning around, it ran towards one of the small cave entrances that were found in the walls. As it disappeared into its dark depths, Charmander set out after it, filling the passage with light.

"Red, stop!"

But instead of listening, he followed in his pokemon's wake, entering the cave as the light faded behind him. Blue, angry and frustrated, set out after him before all the light was gone. Only seeing the fading light and Red's shadow, she struggled to keep up. It was clear the cave was barely traveled; its ground was uneven, the walls too narrow and the ceiling dropped low, forcing her to a crouch. She was thankful for the torches that were lined deeper within the cave, the only sign that human life had traveled here before. Though she wondered why they only appeared deep inside the cave and not at its entrance.

Arriving at a juncture, she saw that the Clefairy had stopped running, confused as to which direction it should take. Behind it, Charmander and Red stopped their chase and the trainer ordered his pokemon to attack. "Ember!"

The flames lit up the cave, nearly blinding Blue. Covering her eyes, she heard a rumble sound through the cavern. "Oh god no!" she yelled, panicking.

She struggled to open her eyes and saw that the Clefairy had dodged the attack and stood before Charmander, moving its hands back and forth. Both small limbs where glowing in a white light. Another rumble shook through the cave, nearly making Blue lose her balance.

"It's using Metronome!" she shouted to Red. "It's causing an earthquake. Red, watch out!"

At her words, a third quake shock the cave and she watched with horror as the walls gave in and collapsed to the floor. The ceiling followed its wake, falling towards Red. Running to him, she pushed him past the juncture as the rocks fell. She jumped to her left, landing on her stomach. Large stones and boulders crashed down, the sound resonating throughout the cave. Blue covered her ears at the noise as dust and sand were lifted into the air, blurring her vision. Keeping her head down, the ceiling fell around her, nearly burying her under the force of the collapse.

She stayed on the floor as chaos was unleashed around her. All sense of time was lost to her and she waited, unmoving, as dust settled on her and rocks landed on and around her. Only when the quakes stopped and the sound of rocks falling ceased did she judge it was safe to get to her feet. Groaning in pain, she struggled to find her footing, leaning on a wall to avoid falling back down. She brushed dirt off her clothes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart. She got lucky; the rocks that feel on her weren't big enough to break bone, nor do any permanent damage. Based on the pain, she did judge that she had a couple nasty bruises on her legs though. Barely seeing in the very faint light, she made her way back to the juncture, coughing Red's name.

But the juncture was gone. In its place was a large pile of compact rocks and stone that reached the ceiling. She panicked. Trying to make her way through the blockade, she scratched at rocks and attempted to pick them up in hopes of making a path through. Most of the rocks were too big and heavy for her to move however, and she made little to no progress. Giving up, she fell to her knees yelling Red's name as tears filled her eyes.

That's when she heard a very faint groan come from beyond the rocks. "Red?" she yelled again.

"Blue? Blue, is that you? What happened?"

"The wild Clefairy made the cave collapse. Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"I'm ok" was the faint reply. "Both Charmander and I are bruised but other wise fine. You?"

Blue slowly got to her feet, relieved, as tears slowly fell down her cheeks. Wiping them away, she used the wall to keep her balance and sighed. "That's good, I'm glad you're safe Red. I'm a bit bruised but relatively ok. I don't think we'll be able to move this rubble though."

"Yea, I was looking at it and I doubt we'll be able too. Plus, I don't want to risk another collapse." was the reply that came from beyond the cave-in.

_No, we don't want to risk that either._ She looked behind her, at the barely lit cavern that lead even deeper into the cave, and once again sighed. "I think our best hope is to continue on our own, and hope to meet up somewhere later on. It's not ideal but…"

"I was thinking the same." There was a slight pause before he spoke again. "I'm sorry Blue, for causing this to happen."

"Don't worry about it Red. It's happened and we're both safe. That's all the matters." _You're a damned idiot Red. For a second there, I honestly thought that…_ she shook her head, chasing the thought away.

"Alright Blue, let's meet up and then continue on to Cerulean!"

"Best of luck Red. Be safe."

She waited for a reply but it never came. A couple minutes pasted and she judged that Red had left with his Charmander. She once again turned to the looming darkness, looking at the stone walls in the faint light from the old torches. Taking the first step towards the swallowing black depths, ignoring the pain that shot through her leg, she was scared. But worst than that, it was when she realised that the only sound to be heard was the sound of her own footsteps that she understood that she was utterly and truly alone.

* * *

Blue was unsure how much time had passed since she had been separated from Red. The unchanging walls and ever growing darkness made it impossible for her to have any sense of time. As she walked, her progress slow due to the bruises on her legs, her sense of unease and loneliness kept on growing until she forced herself to bring out her Squirtle. Initially, she didn't want to involve the turtle, not wanting to share her fear with it. But she needed the companion, a token of sanity that reminded her that she wasn't as alone as she initially believed.

When Squirtle had emerged from its pokeball, it originally had crawled up Blue's arm and settled in her hat, like it always does. But, as the cave grew narrower and harder to walk through, she had it help her carve out the cave so that the both of them were able to march on. But by now, Squirtle had grown tired and exhausted so it was currently resting on her head, its weight and soft breathing the only reminder it was still there.

As time passed, Blue had eventually welcomed the solitude. It allowed her to think on an issue that pressed her mind for a while. Ever since her battle with Green back in Viridian, she couldn't get his words out of her head. "Your style is too similar to Red's" he had said. "You should go your separate ways and develop your own style."

At first, she didn't believe him and refuse to acknowledge his advice. "How did he know?" she had asked herself. _He's only seen Red and I battle once respectively. There's no way he can judge our styles so effortlessly after just one battle. Heck, I've been travelling with Red for a little over two weeks now and even can't accurately describe Red's battling style, let alone mine._

But, as she walked through the endless caverns and tunnels, being swallowed by the relentless darkness, the truth behind Green's words started becoming clear. The realisation came when she tried to dissect Red's battling style. _If our styles are so similar, then it should stand to reason that if I figure out how Red battles, I can try and notice the similarity in our styles._ She then recalled all of Red's battles that she was witness too. She thought of all the combos he accomplished, the tricks and deceits with which he fooled his opponents and the way he seemingly always managed to come out victorious. In the end, she was left with a single memory back from before they set out on their journey.

The three of them were watching old pokemon videos of trainers battling in Professor Oak's lab. The part that now stood out to her was something the professor had said in response to one of Green's comments. "Even when faced with impossible odds," the professor had said, "if a trainer is skilled enough, he can overcome the impossible and achieve victory."

Victory; that word stood out to her. She recalled Red's victory against Brock's Onix, where he managed to trick the large snake to use its strength against itself. Comparing that to her own victory against Brock's Geodude, the truth behind Green's words was revealed. _I did the same thing against Geodude. I didn't realise it at the time but I ended up using its own strength and momentum to ram it into a solid stone wall. _

After that, making smaller connections between Red's style and her own became easier. Having analysed Red's battling skills in depth, she fully believed him to be a combat genius; the fact that he used a chemical explosion to finally defeat the Onix was proof enough of that. So, she knew that fully comparing his style to her own was impossible but, she now saw that a small part of it was being reflected in her own battles.

At that, she was both flattered and ashamed. _Green was right; I don't want to battle like Red does. I need to develop my own style._ She once again recalled all the battles she and Red had done against one another. At first, she thought he was always wining because he was simply better at battling then her. But now, she thought otherwise. _It's not that he's better; we're both equally stronge battlers in our right. For him, the battles are too predictable, too similar. I need to become unpredictable…_

A loud groan resonated from somewhere beyond the darkness and it jerked her out of her thoughts. Realizing the groan was different from Red's; she silenced her steps and crept further into the tunnel. Suddenly, the walls vanished and she found herself at the edge of a large, open room. She realised that this must have been one of the old mining zones, due to the large sections of the walls that had been carved out. Hiding in the shadows, she looked around the circular area and noticed various fissures and cave entrances like the one she now found herself in. But what caught her eye was the group of silhouettes in the center of the open area.

The group carried their own torches, so it was easy for her to see that they were all wearing the same black uniform. They also each wore a black hat and, on both the hat and their shirts, was a large red "R". The group was concentrated around a map, each struggling to get a good look at the folded piece of paper. To their side stood a lone man, obviously the leader of the group. This one, Blue saw, wasn't wearing the same outfit as the others. Instead, he wore black clothed pants and shirt, the latter being lined with purple fabric. A large red cape was wrapped around his neck and, in the light, she saw that he had dark, navy blue hair.

Trying to keep to the shadows, Blue edged closer to the men. _They must be part of the same organisation. They don't look all that friendly though. _As she got closer, their mumblings became words and Blue quickly realised they were trying to find their way to Pewter City.

"This is the way to get back to Pewter City!"

"The boss wants us to go deep into the cave though! He said he needed some sort of rock for his research."

"That wasn't the boss, you idiot! That was the weird scientist."

"Hey guys, do you think it was a good idea to leave John back in Cerulean?"

"Shit, is that where he went?"

"I hoped he had gotten lost in the cave. I always hated that guy…"

"ENOUGH!"

The command came from the one who wasn't hunched around the map. At his words, the thugs looked up at him, silent. "Have you idiots found the way out of this cave or do I have to get involved?"

One of the men left the group, approaching their leader. "Um… Yes sir, I believe we have. However, there's still the matter of those rocks we were asked to retrieve. The others and I agree that we no where deep enough to find them. The proof is the mining shaft we find ourselves in, which has long been abandoned."

"Forget about Blaine and his stupid rocks! We've been down in this cave for days looking for them and we haven't found any! As for as I'm concerned, that's proof enough that he was mistaken about they're location." He then turned to the others, proclaiming his orders. "Now move out men! Our real task awaits us in Pewter!"

"Yes sir!" came from each of them in unison. At that, they gathered their things and put the map away, each filling in front of their leader. Once they were ready, they made their way down one of the passages, leaving Blue alone in the large room. At first, she didn't move. She simply stayed in the shadows in case on of them came back.

After what she judged to be a couple of minutes, she made her way to the passage that was opposite to the one they left. _Who were they? No matter, I've got to find Red._ Leaving the room men and the room behind her, she once again found herself struggling through a narrow tunnel, her Squirtle still sleeping on her head.

* * *

Red fared a lot better than Blue when it came to trekking through Mt. Moon. His Charmander, flame shining bright on its tail, lit up the caves and passage ways, allowing him to travel with relative ease. He knew he was going deeper into the depths of the mountain due to all the downward slopes he kept on descending. But now he was at a lost on how to continue on.

He found himself on the edge of a large, underground ravine. And, just like everything else in the cave, its depth was black. He had his Charmander shoot embers down the fissure and watched as they disappeared before even hitting the bottom.

"Shit, this thing seems bottomless. Don't want to fall down there, right Char?" he said to his pokemon, receiving a nod in return. Looking around the crevice, he saw that there was no way to get across it. He glanced back to the way he came and frowned at the steep slope he had climbed down to get here initially. He knew that with his current injuries, the climb back up would be very tedious. Not wanting to risk the ascent, he sighed and turned to the ravine once more, deciding to walk along its side in the hopes of finding another cave entrance.

They didn't get far before a loud noise sounded through the cavern, scaring both Red and his Charmander. Ordering it to a stop, he waited for something to happen, hoping he hadn't caused another collapse. But, to his relief, nothing collapsed. He was quick to release a sigh and was about to continue his march when movement to his side caught his eye.

Turning, he saw as a large Graveler walked into his Charmander's light; two of its large four arm rubbing sleep from its eyes. Swallowing heavily, Red backed up away from the pokemon. "Crap, don't tell me we woke it up."

It wasn't long before the grumpy Graveler was fully awake and stared at the cause of its unhappiness: the flame on Charmander's tail. Turning to his pokemon, Red yelled as the Graveler threw itself forward, using a Rollout to roll towards the small lizard. "Char, run!"

But the rock pokemon was simply too fast and it rolled right passed Red, who jumped to his side to avoid it. The Graveler's aim was true and before Charmander could get far, the pokemon reached it. Panicking, Charmander jumped to avoid the Rollout and landed on the edge of the ravine as the Graveler rolled further down the path, having missed Charmander. Charmander, landing on its bruised leg, struggled to stay on its feet.

Red breathed a sigh of relief just as, beyond in the darkness, the Graveler rolled into a wall, sending a large quake throughout the cave. The crash echoing in his ears, he watched as his Charmander was unbalanced by the quake and its panicked landing. With a yell, Red jumped just as Charmander fell backward into the ravine.

Sliding across the hard floor, he managed to reach down over the edge and grab Charmander's tail just as the lizard disappeared from view. Red, trying to keep himself from falling, struggled to lift his Charmander to safety. But his efforts were in vain as the quake resounded once again throughout the cave, this time causing the side of the ravine to collapse from underneath him.

Yelling into the darkness, Red and Charmander fell over into the ravine, the darkness of the abyss swallowing them, leaving no trace of them behind.


End file.
